SMHS Shootout

What has happened in summer capital Srinagar, that too in a premier SMHS hospital has casted many questions on the security grid of the most volatile and sensitive State of Jammu and Kashmir. The police has failed to give any clue about the fleeing militants, while as the search Operations are on where general public are being traumatised. Militants staged a daring attack on police inside SMHS hospital in Srinagar by killing two policemen and freeing a Pakistani militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) Mohammad Naveed. Amid heavy patient rush, the shootout happened at around 11.30 am outside the medicine department in Out Patient Department (OPD) at SMHS when six prisoners were being brought for a medical checkup. Police has maintained that two policemen, who part of a police contingent accompanying six prisoners including LeT militant Mohammad Naveed Jatt of Pakistan, were injured in the shoot-out. The injured cops were identified as head constable Mushtaq Ahmad of Dildar Karnah, Kupwara and Babar Ahmad Khan of Shangus, Anantnag. Both expired. According to doctors, Mushtaq was hit by bullets on chest—piercing through his heart—and had died on the spot while Babar was evacuated to Surgical Intensive care Unit of the hospital, where he was operated. However, he later succumbed. Militants managed to free Naveed and fled from the hospital. Chaos was witnessed at SMHS hospital after a brief shootout inside the hospital leaving attendants as well as patients in worry for hours together. It was around 11:30 in the morning. Hundreds of patients had gathered and were in queues to see doctors at outpatient department Block-A but they dispersed as they heard gunshots. A doctor who is a witness to the incident is reported to have said that that he was inside the OPD in medicine department. As he came out after he heard 5-6 gunshots, he saw crowds of people moving in a hurry. There were 200-250 patients both males and females. Women started screaming but we closed the main gate to avoid any eventuality. According to the doctor gunmen also fired some shots to disperse patients and attendants at the medicine department which usually witnesses a huge rush of patients. It created panic in the hospital. As the gunshots were heard, attendants especially in causality and outpatient department left the hospital in hurry and came out to know what actually happened. As per witnesses, the incident happened just outside the main gate of medicine department where patients were lined-up from the morning. Before the incident, I was inside the ward in room no: 15 of the department. With the summer approaching in Srinagar, the situation will have a u-turn and the security grid of the State has to remain up on toes and thwart and unprecedented move from the militants. But what remains is that the Militants are learning it fast and they have proved it with this SMHS shootout.